Apparatus for deepening channels in streams.



S. BONNER APPARATUS FOR DEEPENING CHANNELS IN STREAMS. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 9, 1912.

1,082,147, Patented Dec. 23,1913,

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l v'eo annr SAIVIUEL BONNER, OF CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH TO I1. 13. DILLON AND ONE-FOURTH TO PERCY L. JACKSON, BOTH OF OLARKSDALE, MISSI SIPPI.

APPARATUS FOR DEEBENING CHANNELS IN STREAMS.

Application filed August 9, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL BONNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarksdale, in the county of Coahoma and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Deepening Channels in Streams; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for removing silt from the bottoms of streams in Order to form a channel wherein would naturally be formed a stronger under current.

lhe invention comprises various details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically defined in the appended claim.

1 illustrate my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus embodying features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a boat upon which the parts of the apparatus are mounted. Said boat is provided with a driving shaft B to which are fixed paddle wheels C for driving the shaft by the water current upon which th boat is adapted to float, suitable anchorage cables D being provided to hold the boat stationary. Sprocket wheels B are fixed to the shaft B, and E, F are sprocket wheels which are fixed to the shaft E upon which a cylinder F is mounted and provided with fingers adapted to dig into the soil to loosen the same from the bottom of the stream. A bar E is con nected at its upper end to the driving shaft and its other end forms one of the bearings for the shaft E. Sprocket wheels G are mounted each in a suitable bearing upon a bar H and a sprocket chain 1 passes about each sprocket wheel G and a sprocket wheel E, one upon either side of the boat, and each sprocket chain I passes about a sprocket Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 23, EH3.

Serial No. 714,300.

wheel K mounted upon a pin K fastened to the side of the boat and also about a sprocket wheel B, forming means whereby motion may be imparted from the paddle wheels to the cylinder carrying the fingers F.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings will be seen a rock shaft N journaled in suitable bearings upon the boat and to which shaft N a lever N is pivoted. Toggle links M, M are fastened to the shaft N and pivotally connected with links 0 which are loosely journaled upon the shaft B, thus forming means whereby, as the shaft N is rocked, the shaft B may be moved back and forth in the elongated slots Q formed in the upper edge of the boat, it being understood that the hearings in which the shaft B is mounted have a sliding connection, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. A bar T is pivoted at T to the bar H and its other end is pivoted to the shaft B. A pump P is mounted to have a sliding movement upon the parallel rods B upon the upper surface of the bottom of the boat, said pump having lugs P which are apertured for the reception of said rods, the latter engaging the walls of the apertures through which they pass with suflicient friction to hold the pump in an adjusted position even while the piston therein is in operation and an eccentrically actuated bar R is pivotally connected at one end to the piston stem R and its other end is driven by a cam R upon the shaft B and about which cam a suitable strap B passes and which latter is connected to the rod 1". A pipe S is connected to the pump and passes down and has its exit end near the silt or soil loosening fingers F, shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The boat being anchored in a stream where there is a current motion is imparted by the current to the paddle wheels, thence through the sprocket wheel and chain connections to the shaft E, causing the cylinder carrying the silt loosening fingers to revolve. The pump affords means for forcing air under pressure adjacent to the location of the silt loosening fingers to further assist in loosening the soil or silt in the bottom of the stream, allowing the current to deepen the channel. When itis desired to raise the cylinder carrying the silt loosening fingers, the manipulation of the lever N in one direction will cause the shaft B to move from the shaft N and the chain passing over the sprocket Wheel K will cause the bars H to be raised up and with it the cylinder carrying the silt loosening fingers.

What I claim to be new is An apparatus for deepening channels of streams consisting of a boat and means for anchoring the same in a stream, said boathaving guide grooves formed therein, bearings movable in said grooves a driving shaft journaled in said bearings, bars bivoted together in pairs, one pair upon either side of the boat, one bar of each pair being connected to said driving shaft a shaft journaled in suitable bearings in the lower ends of the other of said pivotal bars sprocket Wheels carried by the shaft at the lower end of said bars, means for moving Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by

the pivotal bars to adjust the driving shaft sprocket Wheels upon the driving shaft, a cylinder With digging fingers projecting therefrom, a shaft upon which said cylinder is mounted and bars connected to the cylinder carrying shaft at their lower ends and their upper ends to the driving shaft, sprocket Wheels upon the cylinder carrying shaft, sprocket. Wheels upon the sides of the boat, and sprocket chains passing about said wheels, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

Si-ilviUEL BONNER.

A. J. OsWAL'n addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

